Post-attack etiquette says when in Rome…

Anshuman Daga

BANGALORE: For thousands of US-based ethnic Indians, it is not just business
that has been affected by the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Employers have turned cautious after some Asian ethnic groups including
Indians fell prey to suspicion and barbs after the attacks. Their advice to
staff: Be culturally sensitive, avoid heated political discussions and dress as
Americans do.

Some hate crimes against Indians have been compounded by media reports that
dealings with clients have become testier. Indian companies have moved fast to
contain potential damage. "It's better to be safe in the present
circumstances. We are making sure that (our employees) don't stick out like a
sore thumb," a spokesman for privately held Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),
India's largest software exporter, told Reuters.

About 5,000 of the company's 16,000-strong workforce are based in the United
States. For nearly a decade Indian software workers, either employed by US
companies or Indian subsidiaries, have been at the heart of a technology-fed
boom in the US economy. The attacks changed the mood.

More than 10,000 employees of India's top five software exporters work in the
United States, the main market for the country's software services sector. Tens
of thousands of Indians work for US firms.

Most Indian software companies are being careful to make sure their workers
are sensitive to their US clients. Companies like TCS and i-flex Solutions Ltd.,
a privately held financial software firm, have asked their US employees to stick
to a Western dress code.

"We have asked our staff not to get into any extreme public discussions
and behave like good corporate citizens," said Ganesh Natarajan, chief
executive officer of Zensar Technologies, just back from a week's visit to the
United States.

Caution

The United States has accounted for more than 60 per cent of India's software
exports, which crossed $6.2 billion in 2000/01 (April-March). "Everyone in
the US is exercising caution, especially the Asians," said R. Vidyasagar,
head of human resources at i-flex.

"There is no major fear psychosis but we have asked our staff to be
careful," he said. Indian software firms cater to a diversified mix of
technology, banking and telecom companies, with staff employed at client sites.

"Our belief is that the US is an open society and we are very confident
of the American people's ability to help their customers and partners act in a
free and fair manner," said Hema Ravichandar, head of human resources at
Infosys Technologies , India's second largest software exporter.

Ravichandar said Infosys' US employees have been asked to carry
identification cards and related documents with them. "We are reinforcing
our message of heightened security and sensitivity to the geography our
employees are working in," she said.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.